
The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Best Riding Legwear
Choosing the best riding legwear for your riding needs is easy with our ultimate guide!
Equetech | February 03 2025Choosing the best horse riding legwear can be a difficult choice, with literally thousands of options to choose from. How do you go about choosing riding legwear that's right for you? In this blog, our equestrian clothing experts share their advice to help you make an informed decision in our ultimate guide to choosing the best riding legwear.
Breeches, Riding Tights, Jodhpurs, what's the difference?
There are three options with regard to legwear for horse riders. These are Jodhpurs, Breeches and Riding Tights.
Jodhpurs
Jodhpurs were created around 1890 in Jodhpur, India. They were based on a traditional style worn across southern Asia, with a snug cuff to the ankle and protective padding to the knee. Some riders prefer not to wear longer riding boots, so choose to wear jodhpurs, as they are longer in the leg than breeches. Furthermore, they tend to have a more extensive size range than styled breeches; most ladies' jodhpurs range from a 24" waist to a 38". Fortunately, our jodhpurs and breeches cater to a vast range of sizes.
Juniors, especially for Showing, primarily use jodhpurs. This riding legwear is usually styled from a knitted fabric and has a rolled cuff at the bottom.
Breeches
Breeches are slightly shorter than Jodhpurs, traditionally with Velcro cuff closings, although nowadays, they tend to be with Lycra to the ankle. Because they sit somewhat higher than Jodhpurs, they need to be able to accommodate differing calf widths, hence the adjustable cuff.
For competition wear, especially dressage, most horse riders will wear breeches. This choice of riding attire is primarily due to the snug fit of long boots and desiring as little bulk as possible on the lower leg. This is even more important when training and riding at the higher levels where a close connection and feel of the horse and leg aids is required.
Breeches are available in various colours and styles, from plain, silicone seats for extra grip to denim jean-style breeches. The majority tend to range in size from ladies 24" to 34". Breeches tend to be a slightly 'neater' fit than Jodhpurs. This difference typically comes down to the fabrics incorporated in their design.
Riding Tights
Riding Tights are the newest invention in horse riding legwear, although Equetech did offer riders the earliest version of this new wave of riding legwear many years ago! Riding tights are perfect for equestrians wanting to feel comfortable above all else.
With wide waistbands and harnessing the latest technical fabrics with four-way stretch, they provide the ultimate feel and movability in the saddle. They are offered in a range of styles, including silicone across the rider's entire seat for the ultimate grip, silicone patches to the knee for more support, and plain fabric riding tights for more traditionalists. This variety means you can pick which style of riding tights best suits your needs.
How To Select The Best Riding Legwear For Your Riding Needs
Which riding legwear you choose can vary greatly depending on the job you require them to do. Ensuring you conform to the rules and standards for your selected discipline is also essential.
In Showing, for example, riders tend to look for a more traditional look in their showing outfits, such as Canary or Beige breeches and jodhpurs. Most showing classes will have an outline of what is and isn't acceptable in their rules.
Meanwhile, in dressage, performance and elegance are the top priorities, and white breeches are the norm for most people, with variations of bling and silicone grip. Dressage riders also tend to like the more tightly woven fabrics as this allows for an enhanced 'feel' of the horse, primarily through the seat. They also like a full silicone seat to give them extra 'grip' in the saddle for sitting trot.
For showjumping, equestrian riders like support, comfort and freedom of movement in their competition clothing, especially their riding legwear. For Eventing, your choice of riding legwear needs to be practical, comfortable and smart.
Horse riders who enjoy hacking tend to put comfort as a top priority, hence the rise in popularity of riding tights. Wide comfort waistbands and four-way stretch fabrics are essential considerations and pockets. Pockets might not be high on the priority list, but having somewhere to put your money, phone, hoof pick, etc., is actually really important!
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